Father's Day, a Dani, Tori, and Tommy Guest Post.

Hey, Tori, I've been thinking.  Isn't Father's Day coming up?  Are we supposed to be doing something for Daddy? (Tommy)
Tommy, can't you see I'm busy playing on Mommy's tablet?  Leave me alone.  (Tori)

Oh, wait!  Tommy, you're right!  Father's Day is coming up. What should we do?
I dunno, Tori, let's ask Dani.  She knows everything.

DANI, DANI WE NEED YOUR HELP!
DEEDEE DEEDEE HEP HEP!
What do you guys want? (Dani)
Dani, it's almost Father's Day, what are we going to do???
Deede, faga day, doooo?
Don't worry guys, I've got it under control.

I'm totally online right now ordering Daddy some really cool stuff, and getting us Father's Day shirts to wear.  Tori, go in the kitchen and get me Mommy's wallet.
OK Dani.  What are we getting Daddy?
What do you think we should get Daddy? 
Let's get him some coloring books!  And some cookies.
Coookie!  Cookie!

GUYS!  We have to think about Daddy!  He's super fun, and he doesn't want coloring books!  Remember when we climbed in his shirt and we were the three headed Daddy monster?  Maybe we should get him a new shirt?
Daaaddy!  Kitty!  Funny!

 Hmmm, you're right, Dani.  I will sit here and think about it.  What can you buy for the best Daddy in the whole wide world?  He gives the best hugs.  Can we give him hugs?  He likes brownies, can we make him brownies?
Cooookies!
Now you're thinking, Tori!  We can bake him brownies.  Let me get Mommy to help.  I think we should color him some pictures too.
Crayons!  Paper!  (puts crayon in mouth)
Okay Dani, I'm going to draw a picture for Daddy.

 Daddy is good at pushing us on swings.  I will draw the playground.
Playground!  Outside! (puts on shoes)

 Daddy always takes us outside.  Remember when Tommy helped him mow the lawn?

 

When I think about Daddy, I am happy.  He is big, and brown, and tall.  He gives me kisses, and he taught me how to snap my fingers.  He plays the Beatles for me, and he gives the best hugs!

Daddy always reads books with me.  And he makes the best pancakes.  I love pancakes.

Pancakes!  Pancakes!

 

Wes,

Dani, Tori and I join Tommy in raising our sippy cups to you, this Father's Day.

I couldn't have asked for a better husband or father.  You are the foundation of this family; the solid base from which we all grow, together, learning, loving, and striving to make you proud of us, and hoping that you always know how much we truly adore you.

Beach! (a Dani and Tori guest post)

Hey Tori, wasn't it so cool that Grandma and Grandpa took us to the beach?  I always wanted to go to the beach, ever since I was a little baby.

It sure was, Dani!  It was so much fun!

I was kind of disappointed that there were no coconut trees, though.  Beaches are supposed to have coconut trees.

 But it was so neat that we could just walk from the sand into the water.  Instead of on a ladder like our pool.  And the sand was so smushy between my toes.  And there were waves!  They kept pushing me over!

 Grandma was really good at making sand castles.  And it was really cool that we had the whole beach to ourselves!

I probably would have been scared if I didn't have Grandpa's hand to hold in the water.  He walked me way out into the deep part!  Even baby Tommy got to go in.

I know, Tori!  I'm usually so scared of getting my face wet, but with Grandpa, I went underwater!  I really did!

Tommy was so cute sitting at the edge of the water kicking his feet.  Too bad mommy didn't go in; she was busy taking pictures of us.

Mommy's ALWAYS taking pictures of us.  I hope we can go back to the beach soon!

Christmas 2011, a Dani guest post.

Hey everybody, it's been a while since mommy's let me post. It's hard work being a big sister to two babies, so I just don't have the time I used to have, you understand.

I'm going to tell you a little about Christmas this year. It was lots of fun.

Since I figured Tori was already on the naughty list, I decided she could get into all the trouble she wanted to because it didn't matter anyway. Hey Tori, I know we're not supposed to touch the ornaments, but mommy's not paying attention, and, we look so cute all dressed up for Christmas Eve church service. I dare you to grab one. Quick! Double dare you...

That kid's an easy mark.

The good news is that Mommy wasn't mad after all. It was close to bedtime and we were headed to church, so that meant we were going to stay up WAY past bedtime!

I sat still almost the whole time and sang songs. Tommy was pretty good too. Tori didn't really want to sit still. She kept getting up and running around. Mommy's face kept turning read and they kept whispering to Tori to be still. She doesn't like to listen. I was really good and I only cried once--they wouldn't let me hold a candle like everyone else. It was totally not fair.

We made it through church, and came home to bed. Santa was coming! When I woke up in the morning and we went downstairs, presents were everywhere! I must have been the best kid on the planet!!! Good work Santa!

Tori got a couple of presents, despite being the naughtiest kid ever.

Even Tommy got some presents. That Santa sure is nice. And it was mostly toys, not clothes like last year. Mommy made breakfast and we played with our new toys all morning. It was awesome. I wish it could be Christmas every weekend.

Then we all got dressed up again and went to mommy's cousin's house for Christmas Dinner. Tommy wore a Santa hat--he's so cute!

We ate lots of yummy food, got even more presents. I don't know how Santa knew I was going to be at two houses, but he knew. He's so smart!

Being a big sister, a Dani guest post.

Hi everybody, Dani here. Mommy said I could give you an update on my little brother Tommy. Its fun being his big sister. He's little and snuggly, and he sleeps a lot. Everybody says he looks like me. Personally, I think I'm cuter, but don't tell him that.

Since he sleeps so much, I still have lots of time to play with mommy and daddy and Tori. Tori's getting big. She's starting to talk, and can play with me. She's not such a baby anymore, so I don't mind sharing my toys with her. Tonight, I let her spin with me on the Sit N Spin, and mommy made us a new clubhouse. We decided not to let Tommy in, because it was for girls only! Mommy tried come in, but she was too big, so we just talked to her through the windows.

I take my job as big sister very seriously. Tonight, I fed Tommy his dinner, all by myself! And he didn't even make a mess!

I'm going to teach him all kinds of stuff when he gets a little bit older. That's what big sisters do! Well, that's what they are supposed to do. Tori will probably teach him how to be naughty. She's really good at it. Tonight she climbed up on the table and dumped out the salt and pepper onto the floor. She's always doing naughty stuff right in front of mommy. It's kinda funny to watch. Mommy's always saying, "NO Tori" and then as soon as mommy looks away, she takes off and does something naughty again. Her favorite thing to do is to run into the kitchen and try to grab stuff. She likes to squeeze the bread, and she also swipes the maple syrup, even when there aren't any pancakes. I'm going to teach Tommy to do the naughty stuff when no one is paying attention, so you don't get caught. Like when Tori's getting her diaper changed or mommy is in the bathroom--so no one sees us. That's what I do--it works every time, well most times. Don't tell mommy, okay?

Dress Up: two ways, a Dani guest post.

Some days, I like to dress up like a pretty princess, and play with all the jewelry in my jewelry box. I like to dress daddy up too!

But other days, it's fun to run around the house and pretend I'm a Chicago Bear!

Did you know that tomorrow I'm going to be a big sister again? And I helped mommy find my old Chicago Bears onesie so Tommy can wear it and look just like me!

We're going to have lots of fun, Tori, Tommy, and I...since we're going to outnumber mommy and daddy!

Mother's Day, a Dani and Tori Guest Post.

Hey Dani?

Yes Tori?

I'm really tired. It's hard to keep up with TWO grandmas!

I know Tori, that's why I'm just laying here taking a break.

They were really fun. Way more fun than mommy is.

I know, Tori, but don't tell mommy that, we don't want her to feel bad!

I like grandma's airplane rides best!

Me too Tori!

I sure wish they lived closer. I love grandma and great-grandma!
Me too, Tori! Let's tell them something together!

Happy Mother's Day grandma and great grandma! We love you!

Stuff I did today, a Dani guest post.

Hi everybody, Dani here. Mommy told me that I could write to you tonight to tell you about some new things that I did today. The first one kinda makes me feel shy.

Today, I went potty on my froggy potty. I told mommy I had to go, and she put me on my potty and I just did it, like a big girl. It was a little scary at first, but mommy just told me to relax and take my time. Then, mommy gave me a lollipop and clapped for me. I love lollipops! I hope that I can remember to tell mommy when I have to go again, tomorrow. She said I could have a lollipop every time!

I also went over to my friend Mary's house today.

She had so many toys I never saw before. She had this stuff called Play Doh. It was squishy and you could make shapes with it. Mommy played with it too! It was really fun. I tried to eat some, but it tasted really salty and yucky. I asked mommy if I could get some Play Doh for our house. She said maybe we should wait until Tori is older. Sometimes I like to feed Tori. I promised mommy I wouldn't feed Tori Play Doh, but I still have to wait.

That Tori's really cramping my style. Babies can be such a pain. Tori did learn to do one fun thing though. She can screech really loud. We have this game. She screeches, and then I do it and then she does it and then I do it until mommy begs us to stop. It's really fun.

Did you know that we are going to have a new baby too? Mommy asked me if I wanted a brother or sister and I said sister. She asked me what I would like to name the new baby, and I've decided we should call her "New Baby". Every day I pat mommy's tummy and say, "Hi New Baby". I can't wait to meet her but mommy said it will be a really long time before New Baby comes. I'm excited--I will have two little siblings to boss around! Well, mommy says that I have to go now, bye bye! This post was brought to you by your big girl who pees on the potty, Dani.

North Carolina, a Dani AND Tori guest post!

Hi everybody, Dani here. And, hey, it's me, Tori, I'm here too! We want to tell you about our trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house, so we decided to do it together. Well, mommy kind of made us do it together because it was close to bedtime and she said we had to share. Dani doesn't seem like she's sharing too well. Pipe down Tori, or you won't type another letter.

So, we left for North Carolina on Wednesday. We all packed into daddy's car and drove and drove and drove. Tori went to sleep for a while, but I didn't. I stayed up the whole way to North Carolina, because I'm a big girl! Mommy was so surprised that I could stay up that long, because we drove for about 14 hours and in the middle of the night, but, hey, I'm a night owl when I want to be. I'm already working on my college sorority skills--I'm going to be an AOII just like my mommy.

Anyway, I had so much fun. I love my grandma and grandpa so much! Grandpa read me books.
And grandma and grandpa took us to this neat town called Shelby, which has a train and a merry-go-round that we got to ride on.

We were the only ones on the train, and we got to ride 'round and 'round the park.

Grandma called the merry-go-round a carousel. It had so many neat horses on it. Daddy and Tori rode in a sleigh (she is a baby, after all), and mommy walked all around and took pictures.

Grandma and I played with bubbles. We had bubble kazoos, and pipes and wands, and just had so much fun. And it was so nice and warm there. Before we left, there was snow at home, but in North Carolina, I got to wear short sleeves! Grandpa let me wear his cowboy boots!
We did so much fun stuff that it's hard to tell you. Did you know that Grandma and Grandpa are my mommy's mommy and daddy? They bought me some neat toys that are just like toys my mommy had when she was a toddler like me....I don't know why they didn't just save my mommy's stuff for me, but even if they didn't, I'm glad they remember my mommy's old toys. There is a neat shopping cart and groceries and lots of other stuff, too!

HEY DANI. YES, YOU DANI. ITS ALMOST MY BEDTIME AND YOU ARE TAKING TOO LONG. MY TURN. MY TURN. MY TURN OR I WILL TELL DADDY.

Okay Tori, it's almost your turn. (Peeps, don't worry, I'll post more after the baby stops babbling). Tori--just keep crawling around after the cat, and once you catch him, it's your turn to type.

DANI, NO FAIR. I'M TELLING DADDY.

Here you go, Tori, but just so you know, everyone probably stopped reading already because they like me best.

WHATEVER, Dani.

I'm going to tell everyone about my FIRST road trip! It kind of sucks having to ride backwards in a carseat for so long. On the way down, we left at 1pm and got to Grandpa's at 3:30am. I tried to sleep as much as I could but it was SO boring and carseats aren't really very comfy. But we made it--I guess some bad stuff slowed us down on the way, because the way home took much less time.

Anyway, when we got to Grandma and Grandpas, Grandpa met us and took us to our very own apartment. Mommy said that was so nice of Grandpa to get our own space for us--sometimes Dani's naptimes are kinda unpredictable, I guess. And Grandma and Grandpa are pretty old, so they probably needed to go to sleep early or something like that.

Grandpa also gave me lots of kisses.

I love Grandpa kisses.

Sometimes I think it is more fun to be the little sister. No one really is paying attention to what you are doing because your bigger sister is just so much more fun, so you can play with extra fun stuff. Here, I snagged Dani's shoe AND a magifying glass. It took a while for anyone to notice. Cool!

We did so much fun stuff. We went to a motorcycle place and did something for charity. If you bought something at this Harley dealership you could turkey bowl and maybe win a turkey. Mommy, Daddy and Grandpa all had a two chances to roll a big frozen turkey down a lane to knock over pins. Nobody won. Mommy did really bad--she didn't even knock over a pin! But the fun part was that after that, we went out to lunch. It was my first time in a restaurant! I sat in my very own high chair too! I hope I showed mommy and daddy that they could take me out more often!

Anyway, before I sat in the high chair, I sat with Grandpa. He let me chew the menu.

I had so much fun at lunch, that I got tired. I fell asleep on Grandpa's shoulder. He's super comfy. I totally recommend him if you need a nap.

TORI, no one cares what you have to say, and it's bedtime. You have to go to bed NOW. I'm the big sister so you have to do what I say. NOW.

Okay, Dani. Tell everyone night night for me, okay?

Whatever Tori, just go away.

Geesh, Tori's finally gone. Isn't it so annoying when she thinks she can post stuff? Like it's her blog or something. Well, anyone, just humor her, okay? Well, it is getting pretty late and I need to get ready for bed too. It's time for brushy brush, washy wash, nighty night. Bye bye!

6 month Tori report, a Dani guest post.

Hi everybody, Dani here. Mommy said that I could post tonight and give you the latest Tori news. She had her six month baby doctor visit today, and wow, she's big. She's 26.5 inches long and weighs 17 pounds and 5 ounces. What a hoss! When I was 6 months old I was 26.5 inches long too, but I only weighed 15 pounds and 12 ounces! (somebody's got to lay off the formula, if you ask me.)

Don't tell mommy and daddy, but I like playing with her. I pretend I'm not so interested, but I really do like spending time with her. Tonight during dinner, mommy let Tori sit on my lap.
Okay, well enough about Tori for now. There will be a video at the end of this post so you can see more Tori. For now, it's all about me! Today, I spent some time at Ruth's because Daddy had to take Tori to the doctor. She made my hair look really neat with lots of hair ties. When I got home, I took off my shirt and pants and put on daddy's socks. I think it's a really good look for me.
I also have this super awesome wagon that my local grandma Deb got for me. It has a seat for Tori, but Tori's too little for it now, so it's all mine! I like to go for rides in it--it even has cupholders! But remember, if you're going to drive the wagon, stick to juice. Don't drink and wagon.

Did you know that my mommy has tap shoes? She calls them heels, but I think they are tap shoes. When I put them on, each time I take a step it goes tap really loud. It's so much fun. It's kind of hard to walk in them because the heels are high and make me stand on my toes, but I love the sound they make. When I get bigger, I'm going to wear tap shoes too! And, in this picture, I put my Dora sunglasses on myself:
Ok, now some video for you. I feel like I have to tell you that my mommy's a lawyer, and the beginning was filmed without my knowledge. I might have to talk to her about being filmed playing with Tori without my consent. Anyway, here it is.

Okay, okay, I admit it, I like playing with my little sister. Busted. Anyway, mommy says I have to go to bed now, night night!